Aug 24, 2009 4:12 pm US/Eastern
Official: Madoff Doesn't Have Cancer
New York Post Reports Bernard Madoff Says He Has Cancer And Does Not Have Long To Live; Prison Official Says Otherwise
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
-
-
Bernard L. Madoff leaves Federal Court Jan. 14, 2009, after a hearing regarding his bail in New York.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
An official with the Federal Bureau of Prisons has refuted a report that Bernie Madoff has cancer and is dying, which the New York Post reported Monday morning.
The report claimed that the disgraced financier who swindled thousands in the largest Ponzi scheme ever was telling other inmates he had cancer, and wasn't expected to live much longer.
"While the NY Post story is full of inaccuracies, and we can't specifically address all of them, we can tell you that Bernie Madoff is not terminally ill, and has not been diagnosed with cancer," said Traci Billingsley, Chief Public Information Officer for the Bureau of Prisons.
But an inmate told the Post otherwise.
"He's been taking about 20 pills a day for his cancer," one inmate tells the Post. "He talks about it all the time. He's not doing very well."
Madoff has also participated in sweat lodge ceremonies with Native American inmates, the Post reports, in an effort to detoxify his body. He has also forged bonds with homosexual inmates, the newspaper reports.
"In prison, you stick to your own kind, but he's doing the exact opposite by hanging with the Indians and [homosexuals] - so who is going to have his back?" an inmate told the newspaper.
The 71-year-old Madoff could be released for good behavior by November 2139. He is listed in Bureau of Prisons records as prisoner number 61727-054.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
World's Most Useless Facts
CBS News Interactive: Cancer
Click to enlarge
BONA FIDE WINTER BLAST 10 mins ago 
Despite New Storm, NJ Crews Still Restoring Power 3 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Comments